I have been a bus driver since late 2006. I know the inside story, the scoop, the down low dirt of what it takes to be a bus driver, how to handle kids and adults, and how to survive on the "streets" so to speak. I used to have a blog, feel free to browse it or ask me a question here.
It depends on the manufacturer and state regulations as to what is required to be on a bus.
That's a personal choice. Long as they aren't homicidal or anything like that towards the kids personal beliefs shouldn't enter into whether or not a person is effective in doing their job.
Again it depends on district and district policy on how they run routes.
Happens here all the time. The radio can be tied up for 10 minutes or longer on non essential crap.
Chef
TV Meteorologist
Obstetrician Gynecologist
Being this has happened a few times while I've been on the bus, generally if we can get the kids to safety, we do so. That usually means a business, other school, or other means of shelter. If we can't we can scope out best and worst case scenarios incase the inevitable does happen. One time we had to evacuate into a middle school and another time we evacuated into a local government office.
It depends on a district's needs and financial situation. Not every district can afford charter buses (or in this case yellow buses outfitted to be charter buses). Most of the time saving athletic trips or the very rare reward trips, those buses would sit on the yard unused. Then there is the fairness issue. How do we decide which teams or groups get priority over others during the busy season. Instead i would rather see money being spent on newer buses in the fleet to benefit ALL students not just those that do extracurricular activities. Many buses are still not equipped with air conditioning (even in the south) which makes for very hard conditions for drivers and students every day. Why spend money on an extra dvd system when you can get two buses for the price of one charter bus.
Most of the time we follow the posted speed limit. Though the maximum speed we should go is 55, it can be dangerous in a highway situation so we tend to bend the rules and top out the buses usually if they're governed at 60 or 65 in order to not impede traffic. Some companies and districts do not govern their buses and those are the ones we see most often speeding way faster than they need to be with kids lives at stake. Personally I don't think i could go faster than 59 to 61 with children on board.
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